Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-03-24
Cultlvatlng Spring Grain.

E
Cultivating Spring Grain.
Practical Farmer.
None of the small grains are regarded
as hoed crops by the average American |
farmer In England few years ago /
wheat was commonly hoed in spring, part
/ ly to clean the land of weeds and partly
| TO benefit the crop. With fair prices for
wheat the farmers thought the expense
well repaid. OF late years, however, hoe
ing wheat has gone into disuse in Eng
Ianad. as prices of the wheat wilt not
warrent the expense. Scarifying the sur
face with the smoothing harrow OF com
mon drag has superseded the slower
and more expensive hoe. This is an
American idea, and originated in wish
/ to accomplish cheaply what the hoe does
extensively 1t is practically quite as
! efficient as the hoe. The very slight scar
/ flying of the surface answers every pur-
pose in tilling in light and air to the soil
| which the deeper pulverization of the hoe
accomplished.
| In one respect scratching the surface
with the smoothing harrow, the teeth of
which slant backward, is better than hoe
! ing. 1t does not destroy fall-sown seed
! grass, which by the time the smoothing
| harrow can be used in the spring has suffi-
cicnt root to be benefited rather than in
/ iured by the operation. We would nat
use drag or smoothing harrow after
| spring sown grass or cloverseed sprout-
/ ed. Yet used before sowing grass seed it
! is great help toward securing good
catch. Clover never fails where wheat
/ fields are duly narrowed in spring before
sowing. Waiting for the ground TO dry
enough for this sometimes delays seeding,
| but the finely pulyeri2ed surface gives the
plants an advantage which repayss the
loss from delay.
Narrowing spring grain IS a still newer
idea, but destined We believe, TO become
popular on all heavy soils. The neees-
stiles of oats, barley and spring wheat
are a seeding so early that il Is always
followed by cold, wet weather, which com
pacts the surface, greatly to the injury OF
the plant Some farmers wait until line,
dry. warm weather before sowing oats
and barley. They want the young grain
to grow without a setback Bat in prac-
tioe they fnd that this late sowing makes
a rank. strawy growth. The straw breaks
down and the heads are alled with shriv-
eled. imperfect k5rnels. The grim is also
much thinner on the ground, warm, dry
weather causing the plants to shoot up
rapidly, instead of spreading at the root,
as 1t is the natural tendency with spring
grain sown early.
The only difficulty about early sowing of
spring grain is that the surface Is sure to
be com pacted by rains or snow. This
evil ia eifectually remedied by narrowing.
| On ground free from stones or sOds no
plants are injured to any extent even by
the common drag, though il tears the soil
more deeply than is necessary. The
smoothing harrow breaks the hard crust
vhish keeps light and warmth from the
roots. and this is all that Is necessary
is possible that in this operation some
Leaves are broken or bruised to such an
extent as 80 check their growth. This Is
an advantage rather than an injury. The
shoots so arrested in their growth are
replaced by two or three times as many
sent up from the more vigorous root. If
we can stimulate the roots TO a greater
vicor, as We can by culhyating the sur
face, we shnll inevitably make the stand
OF grain much heavier than II otherwise
would be.
Culutyating spring grain is adapted
So that sown very late "a well as TO
that sovn early. The effect OF running
she drag or smoothing harrow over grain
il to thicken il on the ground, causing
more heads to grow from single seed.
As this cultivation, increases. the avail
able supply OF plant food the heads VIII
30 larger and the berry more plump.
4 stimulated growth of large number
; of stalks and heads from light seeding,
with cultivation, is everywhere prefer
able Be- sowing seed thickly to produce
this desired result, The closely sown
grain acts gs q weed to dlnlnlsh the
. growth, but where single plants are made
20 cover the ground the effect Is much
better. No one could guess from small
imperfect nubbins on thiekly sowed corn
, how large ears of the golden ggaln could
be prsduoed by planting thinly and cal
tiyatiug thoroughly.
One of the good effects of narrowing
. spring grain, especially that early sown,
p IA in the greatly improved condition of
. ,he soil for fall piowing, Ia many places
oats and barley occupy the ground which
in the fall is TO be plowed for winter
wheat. They are hurried in while the
ground is wet, the surface rolled to make
, IL smooth fer the reaper, and long before
! fall the surface is more Like brick than
/ like tillable soil. Harrow this surface
p once after the grain Is up and then ron
4 The finely pulverized earth on the sur
+ face is mulch which keeps the soil be
, meath in friable condition. IL Is Just
, what isneeded to save plow points ano
: .abor in breaking up oat CT barley stub.
Bile for wheat Were there no advantage
: 20 the grain from this cultivation of th'
. i surface. The benrat in preparing TO
=, succeeding crops would be alone sutiiei er
to Justify it.
A Bravo Southern Woman
= III. .rnrr snnth il vel rAnresentel